Stringed musical instrument.



W. H. DE WICK.l STBINGBD MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED un. zo1909.l

981,393. Panted Jan. 10, 1911.

fjll Nanni: Plrzks co., wAsmNaroN, n. r:4

UNITED sTAs PATENT oEEioE.

WILLIAM H. DE WICK, OF BROOKLYN, NEVI YORK.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, lViLLIAM H. DE Vioin', a. citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Brooklyn, in the county ot Kings and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in StringedMusical Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description ot the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This inventionv relates to musical instruments of the stringed varietyand has'for an object to provide an instrument of improved form andconstruction whereby improved tone is secured and also additionalphysical strength.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stringed musicalinstrument hav- .ing a body with a neck disposed at an inclination tothe sounding board of the body with the inner end of the neck supportedby a wedge-shaped piece in such position that the strings are elevatedfrom the sounding board requiring a higher bridge.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention comprises certainnovel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts, as will behereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view of the improved instrument in topplan. Fig. i). is a view of the instrument in side elevation. Fig. 3 isa section longitudinally of the neck through the portion joined to thebody showing the sounding board and rim in section.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

The improved musical instrument, forming the subjectanatter of thisapplication, is provided with a cylindrical body composed of the rim 10,the sounding board 11, a back l2, the sounding board and back beingpreferably parallel planes. To the body is secured the neck 13 having ahead 14 with any usual or approved means for exerting tension upon thestrings' 15 which are secured to the body at the side opposite thejoining with the neck by any approved form of tail piece 16.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 20, 1909.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

Serial No. 491,121.

The finger board 17 is secured to the neck in substantially the usualmanner and extends beyond the neck and over the sound ing board of theinstrument from which it is spaced at its extremity by a wedge-shapedmember 18. The wedge 18 provides a. support for the neck where itextends over the sounding board so that a bridge 19 is required of morethan the ordinary height. It is `found that it is desirable to raise thestrings above the sounding board of the in-r strument giving thereby amore desirable tone. The object oit the wedge is to fill the spacebetween the sounding and iinger boards thereby forming a solid fingerboard from end to end so as to produce a more perfeet and increasedvibration ot the instrument, the instrument having a higher bridge thanis ordinarily used, and a guard plate or sounding board protector is notnecessary. It is also found that by producing the rim 10 as a circular'hoop ot considerable thickness as indicated in section at Fig. 3 thevibrations of the instrument are coniined very largely to the soundingboard whereby improved tone is also secured, the sounding board, ofcourse, being made of the usual wood employed tor sounding boards andthe like.

By using a circular sound board supported by a hoop of this kind only 3sound bars 2O are required which can be so arranged that the main barmay be placed back oi the bridge, a feature found in no other instrumentof this description where three sound bars are used. This arrangementresults in an improved tone. The hoop is one piece into which a block isfitted for the purpose of forming a base in which to set the neck.

By the employment of a thick cylindrical rim 10 bracing within theinstrument to support the sounding board is done away with therebyeliminating some et the portions of the instrument which are likely ltodeleteriously affect the tone.

lVhile the instrument is shown in the drawings as strung similarly to amandolin it is to be understood that such Stringing is only conventionaland that any approved or desired form of Stringing may be employed orsubstituted.

IVhat I claim is:- of said extended end inserted between said A stringedinstrument comprising a body board and said end. 10 with a soundingboard, a neck secured to In testimony whereof I affix my signature thebody, its upper face beinginelinedbuekin presence of two witnesses. 5Ward from the plane of the sounding board, VILLIAM II. DE \VICK.

a nger board carried on vsaid `face andex; Witnesses: tending over andabove the sounding board, HUGO Moon,

:L wedge of :L length and Width equalto thatr MARY PERRY.

